Twas the Night Before Christmas

Growing up, Christmas Eve was almost as important as Christmas itself.

My mother's side of the family -- the Italian side -- all got together on Christmas Eve for the Feast of the Seven Fishes, La Vigilia. My memories of Christmas Eve are of my grandmother, Noni, who was the mainstay of the family (my grandfather died when I was young) and she ensured that we were all there for dinner.

It didn't matter what was happening in your life, you had to make it home for the holidays and you had to go to her house for Christmas Eve. No matter where we were or what we had planned, she always managed to get us home by saying that she was old and she might be dead next year, so we had to make it this year. She lived to be 97, so her annual threat went on for many, many years. We used to joke that she was going to live forever and that she just used her upcoming death as her excuse to get us there. It was & it worked. No one ever missed. Italian guilt doesn't have its name for nothing.

Of course, the main part of the dinner was the Seven Fishes. Not my favorite dinner, since I don't eat seafood. Yet, even though the dinner featured the Seven Fishes (which we had in abundance), the true meaning of the dinner was the family gathering. My aunts and uncles and cousins.

In typical Italian fashion, I lived on the same block with several of my relatives, including my grandmother. We certainly saw each other on a regular basis. Yet, the night was special. It was Christmas Eve.

No one knows for sure what the Feast of the Seven Fishes actually symbolizes. As noted in Traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes:

By all accounts, the Feast of the Seven Fishes began as a southern Italian custom. The tradition was hugely popular in Italy's most southern points, including the island of Sicily. At one time, Rome, the Eternal City, seemed to the farthest point north where La Vigilia was celebrated, although today, although Italians throughout the world celebrate it. No one knows for sure the significance for offering seven fishes, although there are numerous explanations for it. Some believe that seven fishes are served because it took God seven days to create the world, while others mention the Seven Hills of Rome. There is also the possibility that the seven fishes symbolize the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, along with the seven sins. Today, the number of fishes served varies. Although seven remains the historical number.

For La Vigilia, there are no requirements as to which types of fish need to be served. In Italy however, eel is regarded as a delicacy and so, it is perhaps the only non fish on the table. Other popular fishes that are eaten on this special holiday are prepared versions of calamari, baccala (codfish), kale patties, oysters, scallops, whiting, clams, and shrimp. At the Feast of the Fishes, the meal usually begins with antipasto, the Italian equivalent of hors d�oeuvres.

We were a lot like Anita Campbell, who writes, Christmas Eve - Dinner of the Seven Fishes:

Everyone in our family agreed that the 'seven fishes' symbolized something important. We just couldn't agree on what.

Some think it symbolizes the seven days it took Joseph and Mary to get to Bethlehem. Others think it symbolizes the seven sacraments in the Catholic church. There are other theories, as well. No doubt the controversy will continue long after I am gone.

For me, it symbolizes my grandmother and her family. A tradition of family togetherness that has stayed with me, at least in my memory.